Agriculture Minister, Johnson Drigo, has announced that the Ministry of Agriculture will partner with the Dominica National Fair Trade Organization (DNFTO), to ensure better export quality.
At a signing ceremony, on Friday, he stated that the Ministry will assist the DNFTO in inspection of boxes of produce leaving the island.
“Whatever has to be done, the Ministry will do it, to ensure that the bananas leave the country at the top quality rate that the market requires,” he assured.
Drigo expressed his dissatisfaction with the quality of exported bananas, in particular.
“…we must export only top quality bananas, in particular. The idea of farmers just packing boxes anyhow, boxes bulging out, and exporting them, must be a thing of the past,” he said. “The report reaching me indicates that some of the bananas we are exporting, we are already exporting some of the poor quality bananas in the boxes. So, therefore, there should be no scruffy, roughed, bruised, thin, or over-grade bananas packed in the boxes for export.”
The collaboration is expected to begin as early as next week.
Meantime, Prime Minister, Roosevelt Skerrit urged farmers to seize the opportunities presented through export markets.
He encouraged farmers and hucksters maintain high standards in the preparation of produce meant to be exported.
“The markets are there. We will put resources to enhance the market and sustain the market, but at the end of the day, the quality of the fruit, the packaging of the fruit, the washing of the fruit resides squarely on the laps of the farmers and the hucksters…” Skerrit noted. “Opportunities are given to us, and we are not doing the things that we ought to be doing to maintain those opportunities.”
The Prime Minister warned farmers that low quality produce will destroy opportunities and create difficulties for the country.
Squandered opportunities, he said, are “depressing and frustrating” for the government.
Indeed, it are not Skerrit and Drigo parking the boxes, they are parking their duty-free suv’s.
So what is St. Lucia doing better than us??? Their government not involved in promoting their agriculture? Chupes man.
@Tjebe Fort,The facts are most Dominicans are ungrateful and dishonest,St Lucians know how to work together better than Dominicans,And Dominicans like to politics in what they do failed to put country first,We have the same resources like St lucia to develop Dominica and St lucia more advance so the government has the right to be involve when theirs a problem that affect the economy.
Well it’s a disgrace that the industry fell under the the reign of the labour regime..
but dominicans just can’t get it. under this regime nothing will work…
labour is a wasted element to the flush down the septic tank…
@ Rocky Hills, Stop blaming the government instead encourage farmers to take responsibility. It is not Skerrit or Drigo that parking the boxes. It is the farmer. Stop making party politics consume you with ignorance, I